CopyCat Bennigan’s Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust
2 cups vanilla wafers or chocolate wafers
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
7 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling
5 packages (8 ounce size) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
large fresh strawberries

Directions

Crust:
In food processor, crush cookies until very fine. Place rest of ingredients into the processor bowl; mix until well blended. Pat the crumb mixture into and up the sides of a 9″ springform pan or a pie shell, set aside.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl or food processor, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, lemon zest and juice.

In small bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt together; add to cheese mixture. Add eggs and egg yolks, a Tbsp. at a time, beating after each addition. Gently stir in the cream. Pour batter into crust-line pan. Bake for 12 minutes; reduce heat to 300 degrees F and continue baking for 55 minutes, or until center tests done. Remove from oven.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then loosen sides of the cake with a spatula. When cake has cooled for about an hour, remove from pan. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with fresh strawberry slices. Cut lengthwise into thin slices and spread around the edge of the cake in a fan-like pattern.